New Delhi: Delhi is now voting to the much hyped drama of the decade The Delhi elections 2015with the BJP and the AAP vying for power and an also-ran Congress desperate to make a mark.
Although the election is only to pick a new city government, it has become a high-profile battle, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming out vocally against the AAP and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
With pre-poll surveys indicating a tough fight, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said the election outcome won’t be a referendum on Modi. Any reverses for the BJP could have ramifications nationally. BJP time and again has repeated this statement which indicates the consequences of events after the February 10th results.
A total of 673 candidates are in the fray for the 70-member assembly, which is witnessing its second election in a over a year following a hung verdict in December 2013. Sixty-three contestants are women.
Over 13.3 million voters are eligible to vote. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the people of Delhi to support the AAP, which is just over two years old.
The Left parties have reportedly decided to support the AAP in those constituencies where they have not fielded candidates.
Modi and BJP president Amit Shah have done aggressive campaigning after propping up former Kejriwal associate Kiran Bedi, India’s first woman police officer, as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate.
The Congress effort is led by Ajay Maken, a former central minister. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi also held rallies but far fewer than Kejriwal.
Opinion polls have come out with varying predictions of who will be the winner. Some say the BJP will edge past the AAP to take power while others have said that the AAP will be an outright winner.
The best hope for the once powerful Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 long years until December 2013, would be a hung assembly — a la two years ago when it ended with just eight seats and propped up Kejriwal.
A day before the polling, Finance Minister and BJP leader Arun Jaitley said his party was bound to get a majority.
“We have confidence that we will get a good majority and we will form the government. The choice is between good governance and anarchy,” Jaitley said.
Kejriwal, who resigned in February 2014 after 49 days in power, countered him: “I am happy and confident that we are forming the government in Delhi.”
AAP spokesperson Atishi Marlena said, “We are confident we will win the election as people have understood we are the ones who will give Delhi a better future.”
The AAP won a surprising 28 of the 70 seats in its election debut in 2013, causing nationwide sensation. The BJP finished with 31 seats — five less than the 36 needed to form a government.
The campaign this time was as much on the streets as in the social media and over radio.
There are over 2.27 lakh first-time voters. The Election Commission is making efforts for greater voter participation with messages in the widely used Delhi Metro urging people to vote Saturday.
Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer Chandra Kumar Bhushan said his office was “fully prepared” to ensure a smooth election.
At 18, Burari constituency in north Delhi has the highest number of candidates. Ambedkar Nagar in the south has the least: four.
While 9,369 voters are homeless, 311 are over 100 years old.
The 2013 election saw a record polling at over 66 percent. The number of candidates then was 810.
There will be 11,763 polling stations in 2,530 locations. Officials said nearly 55,000 policemen and paramilitary personnel would be deployed.
zThe results will be declared Feb 10.
(Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama warmly acknowledged the Dalai Lama but did not meet directly with him at a religious event in Washington closely watched by Beijing, which has warned against any exchange with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader.
Obama, who greeted the Buddhist monk with a bow-like gesture, called him “a good friend” and “a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion and who inspires us to speak up for the freedom and dignity of all human beings.”
Both figures were at an annual prayer breakfast in Washington where Obama spoke about the importance of religious freedom. The Dalai Lama was in the audience at a table in the front row across from the president along with senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, a signal of White House support.
Obama nodded and smiled at the Dalai Lama, waving after clasping his hands to greet the spiritual leader as the event began. Organizers also recognized the monk, prompting applause.
The exchange may still rile China, which bristles at politicians meeting with the Dalai Lama. After the breakfast event was announced, Beijing said it opposed any country meeting with him under any circumstances.
Before the event, an English-language commentary issued by the state-run Xinhua news agency, which while not a formal statement offers a reflection of Beijing’s thinking, warned against any encounter.
“Chumming with a secessionist is playing with fire,” it said. Any meeting would “dampen the hard-won positive momentum in China-U.S. relations.”
Outside the hotel hosting the event, nearly 100 supporters of the Dalai Lama waved Tibetan flags while across the street, about 50 people protested his presence.
The Dalai Lama fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959 and has infuriated Beijing, which denounces him as a dangerous “splittist” seeking to establish an independent Tibet. He has said he simply wants autonomy for Tibet and does not advocate violence.
Obama and the spiritual leader are both Nobel Peace Prize laureates and have met previously three times, most recently in February 2014.
At the event, Obama echoed some of the monk’s own teachings, calling for religious tolerance and noting that too often faith is twisted to justify violence.
“We see faith driving us to do right but we also see faith being twisted and distorted, used as a wedge or, worse, sometimes used as a weapon,” he said, citing recent attacks in Pakistan and Paris.
7th to 15th Feb 2015 will herald the vibrancy, drama, excitement and the beautiful colours of culture. Kala Ghoda Arts Festival invites you all to come and experience a kaleidoscope of music, dance, theatre, literature, street stalls, films, workshops for adults and children, visual arts and heritage walks. Nine joyful days to refresh your mind, inspire your senses and feel exhilarated!
- The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival,now in its 16th year, is a community celebration of the arts within one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, The Kala Ghoda Art District.
- It is open to all, free of charge.
- It has traditionally offered various programmes in Visual Art, Urban Design & Architecture, Music, Theatre, Dance , Street Acts, Heritage Walks, Literature and Workshops for children as well as adults
- The Festival has grown exponentially, and is hugely successful, drawing over 150,000 people from all over the city to 350 events over 9 days. Tourists from all over the world plan their trip to Mumbai to witness the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.
- Funds raised from the festival go towards the restoration and upkeep of the area. Several heritage buildings and institutions in the area have benefited from this.
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THE FESTIVAL VENUES
- The Kala Ghoda festival is conducted over 9 days and across several locations.
- Children Programs are held at:
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya – The Museum Lawns,
Kitab Khana - Dance Programs are held at:
Cross Maidan Garden - Cinema programs are held at:
Coomaraswamy Hall (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya)
BNHS Auditorium (Bombay Natural History Society) Gallery Beyond - Food programs are held at:
Westside - Literature programs are held at:
David Sassoon Library Garden
Kitab Khana
Tarq - Street programs are held at:
Rampart Row - Music programs are held at:
Cross Maidan
The Asiatic Library Steps - Visual Arts installations are located at:
Rampart Gallery
CSMVS Lawns
Gallery 7
Art Entrance
Artists’ Centre
Hacienda Art Gallery
Gallery ICIA
Coomaraswamy Hall
Traffic Island - Workshops are held at:
ARTISANS
Artists’ Centre
Gallery ICIA - Theatre Programs are held at:
Horniman Circle Garden Max Mueller Bhavan, Ground Floor
Artists’ Centre
NGMA
M. C. Ghia Hall - Urban Design & Architecture Programs are held at:
Rampart Gallery
Visitors Center Auditorium – CSMVS
Rihanna totally kills it in a Balmain jumpsuit on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar March 2015, on newsstands February 17.
Here’s what the 26-year-old superstar had to share with the mag:
On swimming with sharks for the shoot: “I try my best to avoid the sharks of life, but I have had my share of experiences with them, and in those cases I just have to handle them accordingly. But I do not swim with sharks … sharks swim with sharks.”
On her favorite red carpet look ever: “My favorite red-carpet looks are usually the ones I get to help design: the Adam Selman Swarovski crystal dress at the CFDAs, the Stella McCartney all-white dress at the Met Gala, and the Adam Selman white jersey dress from the VMAs. But the red Azzedine Alaïa at the Grammys is also one of my favorites.”
On how much it takes to get her red carpet ready: “At times a lot of maintenance, and at times none. I have a job that requires quite a lot of glam, and I have a great team that helps me with that. But sometimes, like when I’m in the studio or on vacation, there’s little to no maintenance.”
On if there’s a line she wouldn’t cross, fashion wise: “I don’t like to commit to those kind of rules. You never know.”
Monarchak (Tripura): North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) has commissioned a five-MW solar power plant at Monarchak in Tripura, which will be the biggest and the first of its kind in northeast India.
“We started generation of power from the solar power plant from Wednesday. The full (5-MW) commercial generation would start within a month after completing some technicalities,” NEEPCO general manager SR Biswas told IANS.
The solar power plant was commissioned at a cost of Rs 40 crore. The entire power from the plant would be transmitted to the Tripura power grid.
Biswas said NEEPCO will set up a 50-MW solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh and a two-MW plant in Lanka in Nagaon district of Assam.
“As per the government policy, NEEPCO has initiated the process to set up more and more solar, non-conventional and renewable power plants in various parts of the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, after a huge delay, the ONGC Sunday night started supplying gas to NEEPCO’s 101-MW capacity power plant in Monarchak, 70 km south of Tripura capital Agartala and just eight km from the Bangladesh border.
NEEPCO, a mini-ratna company under the union power ministry, has set up the Rs.9.5 billion (nearly $150 million) gas-based power plant in Monarchak.
Biswas said if the supply of gas from ONGC remains uninterrupted, the power project would start generation of electricity from March and the full commercial generation (101 MW) of power would start from August.
He said non-supply of gas by ONGC resulted in loss of Rs.5 crore a month.
The foundation stone of the Monarchak power project was laid during the previous National Democratic Alliance government in March 2002 and the Tripura government allotted the required land to NEEPCO in 2003.
By using the latest technology, the generation capacity of three existing power plants in Tripura will be augmented by around 70 MW without increasing fuel consumption.
To enhance the production capacity of two gas-based power plants and one hydel power project, NEEPCO in association with the Tripura government would invest Rs.500 crore.
The Rokhia and Baramura gas-based power plants in Tripura are at present in the open cycle system. Both the power plants would be converted into the combined cycle mode to generate additional power without using extra fuel, Biswas said.
“Currently, both plants are generating 103 MW and after conversion into the combined cycle mode, their capacity would be 163 MW,” he said.
An open cycle system has a combustion turbine plant fired by liquid fuel that runs a generator which produces electricity.
A combined cycle system also uses gas turbines to produce electricity, but the waste heat from the turbines is captured in heat recovery steam generators where it produces steam to power steam turbines and generate more power without using additional fuel.
NEEPCO would also increase the capacity of the Dambur hydel power plant, commissioned in 1974, from 8 MW to 15 MW.
Mumbai: Maharashtra government will set up review and vigilance committees at district and tehsil levels to stop power thefts and provide good services to consumers.
At the district level, the committee will be headed by guardian minister and will also include superintendent engineer and district collector, an official in the energy department said.
The committee will also look into complaints of power deficit and T&D losses as well as monitor basic infrastructure of setting up the power projects.
It will look into whether the district is getting assured electricity supply and also review applications for agriculture pump connections.
The committee at tehsil level will be headed by the tehsildar and include local legislator, two sarpanch, zilla parishad members among others, the official said.
Appointment of prominent citizens in the committee will be done on the recommendation of the legislator by the tehsildar.
The committee will help Mahavitaran to recover electricity bills and stop power thefts, he added.
PTI
For the past ten days RNI team in New Delhi is extensively covering the Delhi Elections. A team of six reporters have interviewed people of all walks of life on the February 7th Delhi Assembly elections. According to the video that RNI uploaded a week ago, a majority of them had favoured AAP. The indications were very loud and clear from the video of AAP winning the elections. However the news never came out in a clear and distinct manner. It kept beating round the bush. It is only in the last few days every media is disseminating the real news.
According to the latest survey as of today evening the exist polls is as follows. They consist of all age groups representing various constituencies of Delhi.
AAP- 36-40
BJP- 27-32
Congress- 3-5
The results of the 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections is due on 10th February.
Mumbai: The special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court here on Tuesday convicted six persons, including a builder, for extorting money from builders and businessmen at the behest of fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari.
“All of them were sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment,” said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. This, he added, was the first case in which the builder-underworld nexus came to fore.
According to the prosecution, Harshan Maru, Kannu Thakkar and Narendra Soni fired at Prakash Chabaria, the manager of Mahesh Notandas Jewellers in suburban Khar, in July 2010.
Police found out that the assailants were connected with Pujari and the purpose of the attack was to extort. The shop owner had been receiving threatening calls before the attack.
One of the arrested gang-members also confessed that there was a link between Pujari and city-based builder Ravi Punjabi.
Punjabi — also convicted today — provided Pujari with information about builders, businessmen and their monetary transactions and accordingly Pujari selected his targets.
The court also convicted Paresh Nepali and Raju Bhandari, two other gang members, in the case.
PTI
Pune: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday demanded job reservation for Muslims in Maharashtra and also called for speeding up the trial of cases against members of the minority community, claiming they were being falsely implicated on terror charges.
“We are not against reservation for Marathas. They too should get it. But why are Muslims being left out. Our children should also become IAS and IPS officers, doctors and engineers. That’s why we demand reservation,” the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen leader said.
He was addressing a gathering of ‘Muslim Arakshan Parishad’ to demand reservation for the community.
“Even the courts have accepted that Muslims are backward. Give reservation to Marathas but don’t forget Muslims,” the MP from Hyderabad said.
Owaisi, whose party won two seats in the Maharashtra assembly polls in its maiden outing last year and is planning to expand its influence in the state, said despite Muslims constituting 11 per cent of the population none from the community was occupying any top post in the government.
Lamenting poor representation of Muslims in the state police, Owaisi said, “Our boys are rotting in jails. There is a large percentage of Muslims in Maharashtra’s jails. There is no representation of Muslims in police.”
Claiming that Muslims were being falsely implicated in terror cases, he said, “Mr Prime Minister, NIA and ATS are in your hands. BJP chief Amit Shah can be discharged from Prajapati encounter case in seven months, but the Malegaon blasts case drags on for years.”
Asserting that the community is as patriotic as any other, he said,”We too fought against the British and our love for our country is the same as others. Do not belittle our love for our motherland. I am proud of being a Muslim, but that does not mean I do not love my country. I am a proud Muslim. Is this (being a Muslim) a criterion for making me a non-Indian?”
Taking at a dig at Bollywood Sanjay Dutt for flaunting his six-pack abs during his recent release on furlough, the AIMIM leader said while the state was busy extending “preferential” treatment to the actor, children of Muslims had to “rot” in jail for years.
“When our children are being falsely implicated in cases, why should we keep quiet? Sanjay Dutt is building six pack abs sitting in a Maharashtra jail, while our children are rotting there for years. When you do not have proof against them, why don’t you let them go?” Owaisi said.
Before Owaisi’s speech, Shiv Sena workers staged a noisy protest outside the venue of the gathering at the Kauser Baug in Kondhwa where police had allowed the gathering with several riders.
PTI
Mumbai: Prohibition orders will be declared in an entire taluka if more than 50 per cent gram panchayats go to polls on a single day, State Election Commissioner said in view of the gram panchayat elections to be held this year in Maharashtra.
Instructions in this connection were issued to authorities concerned by state Election Commissioner J S Saharia at a meeting held here to discuss preparations for the upcoming gram panchayat elections.
Around 15,000 gram panchayats will go to polls in 2015. Apart from polls the gram panchayats polls, elections will be held in Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Vasai Virar, Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporations, eight nagar parishads, 139 newly created nagar panchayats, Bhandara and Gondia zilla parishads and 15 panchayat samitis during the year, Saharia said.
Thane zilla parishad by elections are also scheduled during the year.
As per rules, in a taluka, if elections are held in less than 50 per cent gram panchayats, prohibition orders are enforced only in the particular gram panchayat jurisdiction.
PTI
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